By James Samuel, Ilorin
The Federal High Court in Abuja has reinforced its earlier ruling that prevents the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and other parties from releasing voter registers and election materials to the Kwara State Independent Electoral Commission (KWSIEC) ahead of the upcoming local government elections.
The court’s ruling came after the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) informed the judge that they had only recently received all relevant documents from the defendants, while citing the need for additional time to prepare their case, and requested a postponement, which the court granted, rescheduling the hearing to August 27, 2024.
As this existing restraining order remains in force, it recalls that two weeks ago, Justice Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court in Abuja issued an injunction preventing INEC from releasing the National Voter’s Register to any state for use in local government elections.
The order specifically blocked the release of the voter register to KWSIEC until the ongoing legal challenge is resolved.
The PDP has raised concerns about the legality of using the national voter register for the local government elections in Kwara, scheduled for September 21.
In the suits PDP’s lead counsel, Mr. Kehinde Ogunwunmiju, SAN, an ex parte application to halt KWSIEC’s preparations for the elections until the dispute over the voter register is settled.
In response to this application, the court ruled that KWSIEC and the Kwara State Attorney General (AG) are barred from accepting or using the national voter register or any related materials from INEC for the forthcoming council elections.
Furthermore, Justice Lifu instructed the Inspector General of Police (IG) and the Department of State Service (DSS) to refrain from providing security or participating in the local government elections in Kwara State until the court hears the PDP’s motion for an interlocutory injunction.
The PDP’s legal argument bothers on the claim that the Kwara State Electoral body has violated sections 9, 28, 29, and 106 of the Electoral Act 2022, Sections 20 (1) and 21 (1) of Kwara State Local Government Electoral (Amendment) Law, 2024.
The party argues that key legal requirements for the conduct of local government elections have been overlooked or intentionally disregarded.
